why am I IP blocked from downloading?

[gismoskip]

I just got IP blocked from downloading because i forgot my PASSWORD!!! What is going on here? now i can't download the vista fix that I badly need!

[Hawk]

Your IP was blocked because after 3 attempts at logging in, and not getting your username and/or password right, your IP address is blocked.

This is a security feature to help fight brute force attacks.

There is an option to have the site send you a new password, but I'll need to know your IP address first so I can unblock it.
You can find it at this link: http://whatismyipaddress.com/

Send it to me in a PM rather than in a public post.

[gismoskip]

I sent it in an email. you should get it (from my earthlink account, k?)

[Hawk]

I just replied to your email.

[cheminot]

I don't think that http://whatismyipaddress.com/ is very reliable. I get different IP adsreses from it.

[Hawk]

It's worked for everyone else that has used it.
You probably have a dynamic IP address.

[cheminot]

Is that good or bad? I do indeed have several IP Addresses, but I don't trust any one of them.
(some of them are not even in near me).
Dynamic IP? waz dat? Jesus, I just want to play!
I'm I the only one on this?

[Hawk]

Do a Google search on dynamic IP address. That's the best way I know of to help you understand it.

You're not the only one, but most folks have a static IP address.

You've logged into the archives under 16 different IP addresses, and you've logged into the forums under 64 different IP addresses.

[Stoker]

Until recently I was using Sprint wireless internet. I got a different IP every time I logged on. Now I have a DSL service and the IP remains the same. Generally, if your internet comes through a wire and you have a fixed modem you will have a static IP address that is coded into the box, and those that use a wireless connection have a dynamic IP address. Operationally there is no difference. The difference comes in relation to things such as if you play Pier to Pier games which require manually entering your IP, because you need to look up your IP each time. Most game servers do this for you these days, so it is mostly irrelevant whether you have a dynamic or static IP.

[Silverback]

.............................................
You're not the only one, but most folks have a static IP address.
............................................................

................................ Generally, if your internet comes through a wire and you have a fixed modem you will have a static IP address that is coded into the box, and those that use a wireless connection have a dynamic IP address. Operationally there is no difference. ...................................

Both of those may be totally true for some people but for others definitely not and the IP address WILL occasionally vary even if you always use the same PC. (I Presume Stoker is talking about getting you service from the ISP via say 3G rather than say DSL, not whether you are using a hard wired or wireless internal connection. The address coded in the box will be a hardware address known as a MAC address.)

If the modem/router is left permanently on then the address may well be relatively static but may change from time to time. It won't necessarily always be the same . It depends on the ISP and perhaps the country.
In the UK the Internet Service Provider (ISP) may provide a static address but usually at a (high) extra cost. Many ISPs will NOT provide a static guaranteed IP address for a domestic user only for business accounts (mine Won't) for which they charge a lot more.

Most Modem/Routers on their internet facing port use DHCP to get an address and often this is"leased" for only a short time and has to be "renewed". DHCP will always try to maintain the same address on a device but i can be guaranteed (unless you use DHCP reservations against the devices MAC address).

The following is for IPV4 where almost all the addresses have been allocated as there are now more devices than anyone thought likely when the address scheme was thought up. Originally all addresses were static. Servers will usually have static addresses so the DNS servers will be easily able to translate the name to the IP address - e.g. hawkdawg.com is on 204.12.244.50, but if Hawk moved to another ISP for his website the IP address would change but the name wouldn't.

On the internal LAN, wired or wireless, most routers also act as DHCP servers and give out dynamic addresses to each attached device (so you can connect several devices to the internet). Normally these are from the RFC 1918 Private address ranges. Your router will then use network address translation (NAT) so all traffic from your PCs will use the same external IP address (the private addresses cannot be used directly on the internet) to "talk" to the internet and then route the replies back to the correct PC.

The problem with permanently blocking IP addresses is that, where dynamically allocated, someone else may get that address at a later date. Its a crude tool BUT Hawk needs to protect the site against the bad guys somehow. A determined attacker could go through several proxy servers or similar tachniques to work around an IP block, but why bother when there are easier targets.

Of course if you log on via different PCs in different locations e.g at work and at home or use a laptop via various hotspots or use Tor (the onion routing network) then you will have lots of IP addresses against your name anyway.

I've probably explained this very badly, Wikipedia has some good articles.

Why are things so complicated. TCP/IP, Static, Dynamic, DNS, DHCP, NAT, IPv6, IPv4, DHCP reservations, MAC addresses, DSL, PPPoE etc.etc.

[Hawk]

That's a very good explanation.

I'm with Comcast (wired - not wireless)and my IP stays the same, unless I get a new modem.

The problem with permanently blocking IP addresses is that, where dynamically allocated, someone else may get that address at a later date. Its a crude tool BUT Hawk needs to protect the site against the bad guys somehow. A determined attacker could go through several proxy servers or similar tachniques to work around an IP block, but why bother when there are easier targets.

All one would have to do is contact me with the account details, and if there is no reason for their IP to be blocked, I'll unblock it.
So far I haven't run into any situation where one persons dynamic IP was blocked and someone else got it and created an account here.
While it's quite possible, it's unlikely that 2 Railroad Tycoon fans end up with the same IP.
There's only about 5,000 registered users of the archives right now. That leaves a slew of IP's out there. Just shy of 4 billion I believe. That's not counting IPv6 IP's.

[thietavu]

I think I just got blocked, too... Simply can't remember all my passwords on different devices and sites. :(

[Hawk]

I did a search through the database using your forum username and found nothing, so there's nothing I can do to unblock you without the information shown on the page that said you were blocked.